Benoît Mintiens, who founded the Ressence Watch Company in 2010, is an industrial designer who already had a portfolio of designs to his credit - high-speed trains, aircraft cabins, medical devices, leather goods and even hunting guns before he ever designed a watch.
Designed nowadays in Belgium, built in Fleurier, Switzerland, the company's latest product is an oil filled wrist watch.
Yeah, oil filled.
Looks like a giant bubble of water sitting on the watch face.
Inside, surrounding the black dial is 3.57ml of clear oil to improve readability from all angles. It looks almost like an OLED screen. The edges of the four biaxial satellites (or sub-dials) are practically invisible. These displays follow Benoît Mintiens’s minimalist design approach, with the indications on them kept to a bare minimum.
The power source for the Ressence Type 3 BB2 is the ETA 2824-2, a typically basic automatic movement found in many watches. In this case, though, it’s highly modified to power the Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS) display module. In between the movement and the ROCS, there’s a magnetic transmission to ensure the movement doesn’t come in contact with the oil inside the dial. The Type 3 BB2 also features bellows that extend and compress depending on the temperature and volume of the oil.
Huh? Very space age. Elon probably has one already.
Along with the dials for the hours, minutes, (180) seconds, day, and date, there’s also an oil temperature indicator. The ideal temperature lies somewhere between 10 and 40 degrees Celsius. When the oil temperature is below or above that ideal range, the hand points toward the blue or red parts, respectively. And then what? Do you need to change the oil every 7000 miles? Questions, Questions....A very cool and innovative device, all for a cool 38,200 Euros. A snap for Elon to afford, but maybe a stretch for the rest of us. Perhaps if I sell one of the Porsches (wait, I don't have a Porsche), or if the cryptocurrency speculations ever pay off, I can spend some "mad money" on one.
Still, as industrial design, it's a looker, and the technology is interesting. Magnetic transmission, oil temperature gauge, a bellows system? Quite unique. Maybe some day...
Wow, almost $45,000 a pop.
ReplyDelete$45K!! I could almost buy a car for that much money!!
Delete:-)
Almost?!
DeletePlirb
DeleteSolution to a nonexistent problem. Techno-bling.
ReplyDeleteNot Euros, Swiss Francs, so a mere $38,691.
ReplyDeleteNever wore a watch. Every room I went into had a clock or computer in it. After I retired I didn’t care. Sun time is good enough.
ReplyDeleteI know a number of guys that have a passion for the latest thing. Watches, smart phones, laptops, etc. No problem ! This would be right up their alley. But for me, I want something I can tell the time by, with a quick glance, not a decoding operation. My 50 year old watches will do me just fine.
ReplyDeleteAgree Aggie. I am fascinated by the tech and beauty of what is available, but as is apparent, watches of this caliber are just jewelry to stoke the ego.Back years ago, before cell phones, ect. a watch was usefull, or necessary in business. The first digital watch I saw was proudly displayed by a developer I was designing signage for. After pushing the button to show the time on the screen, my architect friend turned to me and said "Damn, now it takes two hands to tell time. I think we're backing up!"
DeleteBubbarust
last wore a watch in 2000. Then I got a cell phone and haven't looked back.
ReplyDelete1988 here.
DeleteThe last time I seen my phone it was on the charger....I think. Don't care.
There's only 2 times of the 24hr day, day time and night time.
ReplyDeleteLook at the bright side: If you can prove it's necessary to conduct your company’s business activity its cost might be a business expense tax write off.
So...
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell time is it?
OK, I don't like it and if you do and you've got the coins to buy one go for it. But before you pull the trigger at the Ressence Boutique (you just don't buy something like this online). Think about what that watch is going to cost for maintenance. I've heard guys with the cash complain about the cost of Rolex repairs/maintenance when they got the bill. Just sayin'. I'm satisfied with my Casio Lineage. All titanium, Solar Powered, Multi band 6 (atomic clock radio control) World Time. alarms, stopwatch and So Much More. Just under 200 bucks.
ReplyDeleteI had a summer job at Carborundum when I was in college, and the abrasive dust would eventually get inside of and destroy any watch. Think abrasives being made in open air furnaces, before the EPA . I don't own a watch (don't need one with the phone) and I still cringe at the thought of a fine machine destroying itself.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of mechanical time pieces, they might look nice and sophisticated, but they suck at holding time. Gimme a Citizen Caliber 0100. When it comes to mechanical time pieces I'll be happy with a Grand Seiko piece.
ReplyDeleteModern ones actually do very well keeping time, as long as you're ok with plus or minus 4 to 6 seconds a day. However, Mrs. CW's watch cost 50 bucks and she loves it. So the Ressence level of watches really aren't about telling time, although they do do that.
DeleteI've a Citizen EcoDrive for years, it keeps perfect time. Never more that a minute off, I set it twice a year for Daylight Saving Time.
ReplyDeleteI have a Casio and a Timex, both electronic, that I've had for probably over 30 years. I just changed out the third set of batteries this summer. They gain about two seconds a month. I reset the time twice a year, just ahead of the time change in summer and fall and if I'm going to hunt, I check/reset to make sure I won't be in the woods when I'm not supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteI thought about getting a Casio GShock with Solar power and radio time adjust, but declined. I really don't need something that accurate at 75+ years old.
Nemo
Seiko Five. Automatic, day date, smaller bezel. Hold to 3 or 4 minutes a month
ReplyDeleteBought it 5 years ago, for under a hunge. Best watch I have ever owned.
Tom762